Playing videogames is a waste of time. Everybody knows that. With the couple of hours I spend playing with the boys every once in a while, I could do lots of productive things. I could do laundry or balance the checkbook. Hey, I could write a sonnet. I could study flashcards.

But now and then, we play. The boys and me, on our various computers, connected to a multiuser game via the Internet. We team up to battle the forces of evil (various ichor-dripping monsters). We have to be careful in our team creation. If you choose four big strong ox types, you won't have enough magic skill in your team; if you choose powerful sorceresses, you won't have anyone to take monster hits. And there are are all sorts of permutations. You need characters that can use ranged attacks and characters that have a lot of ability to find cool items. So we build our team and the fun begins. Daniel, skillful and aggressive, dashes out ahead, seeks out monsters, trouble spots, treasures, and then shepherds the rest of us (still goofing around in town, sometimes) where we need to go. Chris wanders independently, often getting himself in huge trouble, surrounded by far too many monsters. "You need help, Chris?" "No!" Aaron tries to be everywhere at once. He tries to help Daniel find quest items, help Chris stay alive, help me, um, navigate. Often he's also IMing with his girlfriend and negotiating major trades with other players in other games. When spats erupt between Daniel and Chris, he placates, soothes, distracts. I usually have a character who can use ranged attacks. I tend to stick with others, let them wade into the fray while I stand back and pick off the baddest with arrows or spells. Some call that cowardly; I prefer the word "pragmatic".

We all have to team up to beat the worst monsters. The brutes go in and hammer on them. I rain arrows. Sometimes we have to hire helpers in the town. The spellcasters try various dangerous magical spells. We can see one another's health statistics, and if one of our health bars goes down too far, the rest of the team tries to cover, lead the monster away a little, distract.

Eventually, many deaths and gold pieces and arrows and curses later, we do kill the monsters. Usually then someone types "water break" or "kitchen" or "pie?", and we congregate in the kitchen and congratulate ourselves. We discuss what we should do next time around. Daniel and Chris growl at each over the pie. We compare notes on items we've found, pass them around to better benefit the team. "Hey, I found a great sword for you." "Oh! I got a new helmet; want my old one?"

Then we go try it again.